Dominican Republic Medical Partnership
University of Missouri
Hypertension, also known as high blood pressure, is a major health
concern worldwide, affecting an estimated 31 percent of the world’s
population. Low and middle-income countries, such as the Dominican
Republic, are disproportionately affected.
To help combat this issue, researchers at the University of Missouri
partnered with non-profit American and Dominican foundations to bring a
pioneering hypertension care program to underserved communities of
Haitian immigrants in the Dominican Republic. An evaluation of this
program by Dr. Maithe Enriquez of the University of Missouri indicates that it is both effective and sustainable.
The Jonas Batey Hypertension Program brought care to four bateyes,
which are rural sugarcane settlements that often lack running water,
electricity, proper sanitation and convenient access to health clinics
or medication. The local foundation visited each community four times
per year, providing screenings, multivitamins and a three-month supply
of blood pressure medication to those in need at each visit. Though the
program is still ongoing, it was evaluated by Enriquez and her
colleagues after a one-year period in a study that you can read more about here. The evaluation showed a significant drop in both systolic and dystolic blood pressure for those who were treated.
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